Campers Gene and Marie Marsden took pride in being good citizens when in the wild. While driving miles to the Green River Lakes area, they taught their children what they had learned in the bear safety handbook put out by the Bridger-Teton Forest Service.

    Mr. and Mrs. Marsden did their best to keep a tidy camp. As the handbook had said to hang all food at least ten feet off the ground and four feet out from the trees, they did that and locked their food in their trailer(拖车) at night. It was already dark when they went to bed, but they perused the campsite with flashlights, making sure nothing was left out. Following the bear book's advice, they slept a hundred yards from where they cooked their food, and kept the car near their tents, separated from the trailer, which they left up at the other camp.

    The Marsdens liked having their dog Spike on guard. But on the first night, Spike would not stop barking. When Marie Marsden pulled the tent open and shone her flashlight, she saw a young bear.

    They all piled into the car and drove quickly down the path, calling out of the window to Spike and abandoning the trailer. They drove to a pay phone and called a Fish and Game Department guard, who identified the bear by the white ring of the fur the Marsdens had seen around his neck. The authorities informed the Marsdens that the bear was a young male that they'd been keeping an eye on.

    The next morning, the Marsdens heard helicopters circling over the mountain and wondered if it might have something to do with the bear.

    After spending the night in the public campground, they drove back to their site. Wandering the area in search of clues, Marie came to a stop below a tall tree. She slapped her head and shouted, “Oh no!”

    “What is it?” Gene asked.

    Marie pointed at the ground where Spike's dog food bowl lay upside down. A week after their return home, the Marsdens read the headline in their local paper. “Bear Killed in Wind Rivers.” According to the article, the Fish and Game Department had shot the young bear because, having been rewarded for invading(侵入) a human campsite, it would likely to do so again.

    The Marsdens knew they had been lucky in the encounter, yet much to their shame and sadness, they also knew that the bear had not.

    More and more people like bicycling and it is no surprise. It is fun, healthy and good for the environment. Maybe that's why there are 1.4 billion bicycles and only 400 million cars on roads worldwide today. Bikes can take you almost anywhere, and there is no oil cost!

    Get on a bicycle and ride around your neighbourhood. You may discover something new all around you. Stopping and getting off a bike is easier than stopping and getting out of your car.

    You can bike to work and benefit (受益) from the enjoyable exercise without polluting  the environment. You don't even have to ride all the way. Folding (折叠) bikes work well for people who ride the train. Just fold the bike and take it with you. You can do the same on an airplane. A folding bike can be packed in a suitcase. You can also take a common bike with you when you fly. But be sure to look for information by getting on airline websites. Not all airlines are bicycle-friendly to travellers.

Health Benefits of Bicycling:

    It helps to prevent heart diseases.

    Bicycling helps to control your weight.

    A 15-minute bike ride to and from work three times a week burns off five kilos of fat in a year.

    Bicycling can improve your mood (心情).

    Exercise like bicycling has been shown to make people feel better, more relaxed and self-confident.

    Bicycling is healthier than driving.

    Singapore's public transport system is one of the best in the world, so you should have no problem finding your way around like a local. There are three main forms of public transport that you would find in any other major city—trains, buses and taxis.

    TRAINS

    Trains run from 6:00 am to midnight. Single trip tickets start at 80 cents. If you buy an EZ-Link cars for $15, you can ride the trains and buses as you like.

    If you need more information, just call Transit Link on 1800 525 7333.

    BUSES

    There are several bus services in Singapore and fares start at 80 cents. Be sure always ask the driver the cost of your ticket as he can not give change.

    If you need help, just call Transit Link on 1800 525 7333.

    TAXIS

    There are three main taxi companies—City Cab (6552 2222), Comfort (6552 1111) and Tibs (6552 8888). Booking can also be easily by calling the numbers listed above.

    RENTAL CARS

    Driving in Singapore is a pleasure and if you liked to travel at your own pace, renting a car is a good choice. Renting takes away the hassle of getting to places around Singapore. Just sit back and enjoy the city. It also means you'll get to see a lot more that a train or a bus won't let you see.

    For car rental, call Avis on + 65 6737 1668.

    If you are taking vitamin supplements to reduce your risk of heart disease or cancer, a group of health experts want you to know that those vitamins may actually increase your risk of cancer.

    The US Preventive Services Task Force came to this conclusion after reviewing dozens of studies.

    Nearly half of adults in the US take at least one vitamin or mineral supplement on a regular basis. These pills are advertised as a way to promote general health. In some cases, manufacturers promote them as cancer fighters and heart protectors.

    Studies in animals and in laboratory dishes suggest that oxidative(氧化性的) stress contributes to diseases like cancer and heart disease. If so, there is a reason to believe that antioxidants—including beta-carotene, vitamins A, C, and E—could be useful as preventive medicines.

    But when the Task Force examined the medical evidence on vitamins, it found “inadequate(不充分的) evidence” to support the claims that vitamin and mineral supplements benefit healthy adults.

    “Cardiovascular(心血管的) disease and cancer have a significant health impact in America, and we all want to find ways to prevent these diseases,” Dr. Virginia Moyer, who heads the Task Force, said in a statement. But so far, she added, the medical evidence does not show that taking vitamins is helpful in this regard.

    However, the Task Force did find “adequate evidence” that people with a raised risk for lung cancer actually increase their risk further by taking beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A.

    The Task Force recommendations of taking vitamins regularly apply to healthy adults aged 50 and older who don't have “special nutritional needs”. The advice does not apply to children, women who are pregnant or may become pregnant, people with chronic illnesses, or people who have to take supplements because they can't get all their essential nutrients from their diet.

    When my daughter Sara was in the fifth grade, she came to me with a problem. "Marcy hates me!" she cried. "Because Kathy is my friend, too. She wants me to be her friend and nobody else's. You talk to Marcy. You tell her that I want to be her friend, but I can have other friends, too!"

    Oh! I looked at her for a few moments, wondering how I got into this mess (困境), when suddenly an idea came to me.

    Picking up two baskets from the living room, I explained, "When everyone is born, he or she has a little basket. This little one here is yours. The big one is mine. As you grow, so does the basket. You can see your little basket is inside mine because when you were born, there were too many things you couldn't do for yourself. I did everything you couldn't do on your own."

    She nodded.

    "Well, as you grew older and began to do some things on your own, I began placing a few more things in your basket. When you learned to tie your shoes, that went in your basket."

    She said softly, "I can tie my own shoes."

    "Right. As you grow older, there will be more and more things you must do on your own." As I spoke, I gradually took her basket out of mine and handed it to her. "You will finally carry your own basket with things only you can do."

    She looked up at me and said, "I understand. There are some things that I have to do for myself because they are in my basket."

    More students than ever before are taking a gap year（间隔年） before going to university. It used to be the "year off" between school and university. The gap﹣year phenomenon originated（起源） with the months left over to Oxbridge applicants between entrance exams in November and the start of the next academic year.

    This year, 25310 students who have accepted places in higher education institutions have put off their entry until next year, according to statistics on university entrance provided by the University and College Admissions Service （UCAS）.

    That is a record 14.7% increase in the number of students taking a gap year. Tony Higgins from UCAS said that the statistics are good news for everyone in higher education. "Students who take a well﹣planned year out are more likely to be satisfied with, and complete, their chosen course. Students who take a gap year are often more mature and responsible, "he said.

    But not everyone is happy. Owain James, the president of the National Union of Students （NUS）, argued that the increase is evidence of student hardship﹣young people are being forced into earning money before finishing their education. "New students are now aware that they are likely to leave university up to￡15, 000 in debt. It is not surprising that more and more students are taking a gap year to earn money to support their study for the degree. NUS statistics show that over 40% of students are forced to work during term time and the figure increases to 90% during vacation periods," he said.